Websites from the ISKCON Universe
When surface approaches of sensitivity and strength are founded upon a sincere selflessness, balancing the two emotions becomes effortless and natural. When our underlying motivation is to genuinely help someone, and that becomes the universal reference point, then we can confidently and unhesitatingly embrace whatever approach will facilitate growth.
Spiritual Science Exhibition by children of NICE (Narasimha Institute for Children Education) – an education wing of ISKCON Mira Road, Mumbai, was held at the Balaji hall, ISKCON Mira Road, on 23rd April 2016. It started around 7am. There were 125 models made by 250 children who explained the wonderful pastimes of the Lord to the devotees who came to visit the exhibition. The theme of the exhibition was based on the 1000th Appearance Day of Sripad Ramanujacharya.
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A video by Madhava Das.
[Bhagavatam class at Port of Spain, Trinidad]
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[Bhagavatam class at Port of Spain, Trinidad]
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The post Attitude in outreach 1 – Present the product before the process – Be a role model appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
A video by WestCoastMonk.
Srimati Sita Devi (consort of Lord Sri Rama) - Appearance.
Today marks the auspicious appearance day of a very great female personality, namely Sita Devi, the consort of Lord Ram. Sita Devi, one of the most prominent personalities in the great epic Ramayan, is an epitome of pure love and devotion and an exemplary chaste wife. Her character and her pastimes set a great example and high standards for all women in today’s world, whether in the role of a daughter, wife, mother or in fact in any role at all. It also shows the strength pure hearted women can have, and is a good warning to everyone to never disrespect a respectable woman.
[Talk at ISKCON, Port of Spain, Trinidad]
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To my spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada this Sri Nrsimha Palana Prarthana is respectfully dedicated
Urmila Devi Dasi: While showing his extraordinary prowess, Hiranyakasipu, who desired to kill his own son, heard that wonderful, tumultuous sound, which had never before been heard. Upon hearing the sound, the other leaders of the demons were afraid. None of them could find the origin of that sound in the assembly. 
By Amogha das A few weeks ago Jananivas Prabhu told me that a married couple could not conceive a child. A year ago the doctor examined the wife and said that in the past some disease had occurred and her tubes were permanently closed. The couple took shelter of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Just recently they again went to the doctor, who revealed that now the tubes are open, which normally does not happen. And, he was happy to say, she is pregnant! Manohar Shyam Prabhu told me that recently there were massive bushfires in Argentina. There were raging hot winds and the flames were devouring everything in their path. Emergency workers were evacuating people from their homes. Manohar Shyam's mother, who worships Mayapur Nrsimhadeva, could see the flames rising twenty feet into the air coming directly towards her home. She immediately went to pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva. Suddenly the wind changed direction, and the flames blew away from her home to another destination. Continue reading "Twenty Foot Flames: Lord Nrsimhadeva
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“Sri Nrsimhapalli” Or Devapalli.
The Place Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Take Rest And Wash The Blood From His Hands After Killing Hiranyakasipu.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=11533
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On the weekend of 29th and 30th April 2017, Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj gave seminar on Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes at Sri Sri Rukimini Dwarkadhish temple, Los Angeles. Please find the recording of the classes here :
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Bhakti Charu Swami shares the true gems of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness at the Sunday feast lecture at ISKCON Los Angeles on 30th April 2017.
The post Srila Prabhupada’s Greatness – Sunday Feast – Los Angeles – 30 April 2017 appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.
Gomati : Mother Cow The prince of Vraja daily enjoys a great festival of protecting and milking the cows. With happiness He eagerly enjoys pastimes with them in the forests of Vraja. Let me worship these surabhi cows, whose horns are studded with jewels, whose hooves are splendidly decorated, and whose splendid neck is decorated […]
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By Chaitanya Charan das If we see our tradition, our tradition has primarily focused on internal change. Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakura lived in Vrindavan at a time when Mughals had devastated Vrindavan. That’s the time he wrote his Bhagavatam and Gita commentary. But he doesn’t mention even one word about the Mughal devastation anywhere in his commentaries. So traditionally scripture was seen as primarily a tool for philosophical exposition. In our tradition, Bhakti Vinod Thakur was the first one to write books on social issues. But he also did not mix scriptural commentary with social analysis. When we look at his commentary on “Chaitanya Charitamrita”, “Amrita-pravaha-bhasya”, that’s simple spiritual commentary. He has addressed social issues in his other books like “Tattva Vivek”, “Jaiva Dharma”. Continue reading "Focus on internal change through sadhana or social change through activism?
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A new book from the Russian branch of the BBT tells the amazing history of ISKCON in the USSR during the Soviet era, detailing the struggles and successes of some of our movement’s most dedicated and often unsung heroes. “The Krishna Consciousness Movement in the USSR: A Historical Outline From 1971-89” is out on May 15th in the Russian language. Not yet available in English, it is the first comprehensive account of these 18 years of history.
The local municipality in Turin, one of the largest cities in Italy, is financially supporting ISKCON’s local Food For Life effort. Devotees feed 100 homeless people at two shelters every Monday. And local public, moved by the devotees' effort, are streaming in to volunteer.
Uddalaka speaks to his son Svetaketu in the Katha Upanishad (For an extract of their conversation see end)
Samhita, Brahmana and Aranyaka
Samhita means ‘that which has been collected and arranged.’ A samhita brings out the meaning of the particular Veda in the shape of mantras systematically arranged. In addition to the samhita portion, each Veda has a part known as a brahmana and another section called an aranyaka.
The brahmana portion lists what rituals are to be performed and exactly how they are to be done. When the mantras contained in a samhita are converted into a ritual action called yajna, the brahmanas serve the purpose of a guidebook or a handy manual explaining how each word should be understood.
The word aranya means ‘forest’ and the aranyakas are texts for ‘forest dwellers,’ those who have renounced sensory pleasures and now live in the tranquil forest of contemplation. These texts are meant to explain the inner meaning, the doctrine or philosophy contained in the samhita as mantras, and in the brahmanas as yajnas. According to the aranyakas it is important to understand the reasons why yajnas are required to be done, and not merely their actual performance.
Upanishads
The Upanishads come towards the end of the aranyakas. Their main theme is philosophical enquiry and an urgent recommendation to rise above the mental states that keep the soul within the cycle of repeated reincarnation. This message is in contrast to other sections of the Vedas which tend to attract the soul to celestial enjoyments or power and beauty within this world and the next. Because of these two, somewhat contradictory, messages the Vedas are considered to have two portions. The first is the portion dealing with ‘actions’ or ‘ritual’ and is known as the Karma Kanda. The second portion deals with ‘higher knowledge of the self’ and is consequently known as the Jnana Kanda. These are also referred to, respectively, as the Purva Mimamsa and the Uttara Mimamsa.
The Vedas were first orally preserved in spoken Sanskrit or ‘purified language,’ as a chain of recitation from guru to disciple, then written down in Devanagari, the written form. Sanskrit has 46 characters and each has a precise pronunciation.
It may appear to be a paradox that the deva worship recommended in the beginning of the Vedas is negated by it in the later sections. Certainly it is strange for the western reader who may, rightly, expect to notice consistency within the same holy text. But there is a central commandment running through the Vedas: so long as we wish to enjoy the world we must worship the devas and perform karma; and as soon as we understand the temporary nature of material happiness and the transience of our short lifetime we must take to cultivating knowledge of the self, or jnana.
The word upa-ni-shat means to ‘sit by the side’ and refers to the student of the Vedas who is called forward to receive higher instruction. In the Upanishads we find that the very same gods who are the objects of obligatory worship in one portion of the Vedas are described as themselves being either students or teachers of higher knowledge. Indeed, even in the Vyakaran section of the Vedas, a dictionary of Sanskrit terminology, the word devanampriya or ‘beloved of the gods’ is synonymous for ‘fool.’ In the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.5) and in the Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad (2.3.33) there is a stinging comparison of the bliss attainable by the soul who has become free from material entrapment compared to the soul who enjoys celestial happiness in the heavenly realms. After a progressive analysis – which reads like a multiplication table – we learn that the happiness of a young man in the prime of life here on earth is surpassed by the bliss of the self-realised soul by 100 to the power of 10. But when men learn of the paltry ‘bliss’ attainable in this world, and they try to practise yoga, they tend to fall out of favour with the gods themselves. The Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad (1.4.10) says that the gods do not like men who try to realise their inner self and often choose to send temptations and distractions their way. Many are the aspirant yogis who have become confounded by the intrigues of the gods.
The Upanishads are so important to the philosophical and theological strength of the Vedic path, that the religion itself was often known as Upanishad Dharma. Although the number of the Upanishads is variously calculated, most schools of the Vedas count at least ten to thirteen as being of great importance. Accordingly, these are studied the most. Srila Prabhupada has regularly cited from the Katha, Kena, Chandogya, Mundaka and Svetasvatara Upanishads, and of course has published his own commentary on the Isha Upanishad.
The Brahma Sutra or Vedanta Sutra
The Sanskrit word sutra means a ‘summarized code’ and in the Skanda Purana and Vayu Purana the definition is given: ‘when a thesis is presented in few words, but with great volumes of meaning and, when understood, is very beautiful.’
Vedanta means ‘the end of knowledge’ and is meant to be the ultimate Vedic text in the matter of exploring the nature or ‘perfect being’ of Brahman (spirit) and its relationship to matter. The Vedanta Sutra covers the nature of the infinitesimal, individual being and the infinite being. Since describing the relationship between them must include analysing how the individual living being falls into ignorance and suffers the nature of forgetfulness and illusion is examined.
The Vedanta Sutra was composed by Srila Vyasadeva as an exegesis of all the Upanishads and is compromised of 555 sutras divided into 192 adhikaranas, logical arguments or syllogisms, each of which consist of five parts: 1.Visaya (thesis or statement) 2.Samsaya (doubt in the tenability of the statement) 3.Purvapaksha (presentation of a view opposing the original statement) 4.Siddhanta (determination of the ‘final conclusion,’ by quotation from Vedic texts) 5.Sangati (confirmation of the final conclusion by quotation from Vedic texts.
All schools of thought in India have their own commentary on the Vedanta Sutra written by the original preceptor of their lineage.
The distinction between matter and spirit is introduced in the famous conversation between father and son in the Katha Upanishad. I read it here.
Mayapur Academy's new Italian branch allows devotees in the Western World and particularly Europe to learn the knowledge, skills and values they need to serve as pujaris in ISKCON without traveling all the way to Mayapur in India. Units include astrology Tulasi care and worship, jewelry making, cooking, festivals, yajnas, turban making, and flower decorations.
Sunshine on a Cloudy Day.
Vaisesika Das: The Temptations, a wildly popular Motown singing group, released their biggest hit song in 1965.
By Deena das For the pleasure of the devotees, below is Chapter 231 of the Garuda purana, where Mahadeva Shiva calls on Lord Narasimhadeva. (The Matrgana's mentioned in this story are eight goddesses produced from the bodies of Vishnu, Shiva and six other main deities during the killing of a powerful demon called Andhaka. Their origin is recounted in the Varaha-purana.) Continue reading "Garuda Purana: Shiva’s prayer to Lord Narasimhadev
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By Chandan Bhatia Chand Kazi was the Chief Magistrate of Navadwipa. He was a devout & strict Muslim who was well versed in the Koran. As the Chief Magistrate of Navadwipa-Mayapur, he kept law and order for the Hussein Shah and was also the spiritual advisor of the Shah. He was a tyrannical ruler and the Hindus were oppressed in their religious practices. Continue reading "Lord Nrsimhadeva’s pastimes with Chand Kazi
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By Urmila Devi Dasi